[{"bbox": [97, 152, 1135, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "groups in more vulnerable situations, and media at national level, complementing the ongoing EU-PNG partnership for Good Governance."}, {"bbox": [97, 231, 695, 259], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### (a) National level: Demand for ITA through CSO and media:"}, {"bbox": [97, 259, 1135, 657], "category": "Text", "text": "Lessons from across the world and from the EU show that civil society and media are indispensable for improved governance. However, the voice and capacities of PNG's civil society and media are not sufficiently developed to fulfil their mandate of demanding ITA in the public system and watching over ITA obligations of the authorities on behalf of the population, women and men, boys and girls, in all their diversity. Nevertheless, organizational structures within civil society, aimed at promoting integrity, transparency and accountability, are emerging, offering an opportunity for stronger EU support to citizen's people's involvement, increasing the demand for accountability and reducing corruption tolerance. Operating within a relatively favourable legislative and regulatory environment, media are a potentially powerful tool to investigate and inform citizens people about weaknesses and violations of ITA and foster corruption intolerance. However, the impact of traditional mass media is weakened by lack of reach, lack of journalistic quality and interference by political and private interests. Social media have in the recent past emerged as means to vent popular discontent over misappropriation of funds and poor service delivery. Though still limited, they nevertheless offer an opportunity for enhanced rights-holders/citizen's engagement, which is ultimately necessary to increase the demand side for integrity, transparency and accountability in the public sphere. The enhanced use of supportive digital tools will further contribute to the impact of the action."}, {"bbox": [97, 682, 775, 710], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### (b) Pilot subnational level: ITA systems and practices in Bougainville."}, {"bbox": [97, 710, 1135, 1028], "category": "Text", "text": "The Autonomous Bougainville Government is a nascent administration with a special status within PNG. Following the independence referendum in 2019, consultations are currently being held on its future status. The process of transition of powers from PNG's central government to the ABG generates the need to anchor ITA systems at ABG level from the very beginning. Embedded in Bougainville's 2018-2022 Development Strategy and in accordance with the Shaping Bougainville Justice programme, the ABG, notably the Office of the President and the ABG Department of Justice, is keen to build its capacities and develop ITA systems, processes and mechanisms for Bougainville's public administration, as indispensable tools to ensure adequate service delivery to the population. Concrete examples include the creation of a position in the Office of the President tasked with the coordination of governance-related issues across ABG departments. The EU has been requested by ABG to further strengthen capacity and assist the ABG in those efforts. Considering the ongoing progressive increase in the autonomy of Bougainville, this opens an ideal window of opportunity for EU's support to establishing integrity and accountability mechanisms in the ABG, including in the environmental sphere, at a critical moment."}, {"bbox": [97, 1053, 1135, 1108], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [97, 1163, 229, 1190], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Pillar 1: PFM"}, {"bbox": [97, 1201, 1135, 1335], "category": "Text", "text": "The main government stakeholders in charge of implementing PFM reforms include: the Department of Finance, the Auditor General's Office, the Parliamentary Accounts Committee, ABG Department of Finance, ABG Department of the President and Bougainville and Provincial and District Government administrations. Bougainville's institutions have been slowly increasing their competences and capacities. However, progress on reforms already undertaken at national level has been limited."}, {"bbox": [97, 1335, 1135, 1387], "category": "Text", "text": "The main development partners involved in the sector are the members of the EU-led PFM Working Group: the IMF, ADB, World Bank, Australia and JICA."}, {"bbox": [97, 1413, 874, 1441], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Pillar 2: Integrity, transparency and accountability (ITA) systems and practices"}, {"bbox": [97, 1441, 1135, 1627], "category": "Text", "text": "The main government stakeholders involved in the design and implementation of ITA systems and practices relevant to the implementation of the Action include: the Departments of Justice of ABG, the Department of the President of the ABG, Bougainville Strategic Research and Planning Secretariat, and still dependant on PNG, the Ombudsman's Commission and the Bougainville police. Bugainville institutions lack capacity, while PNG national institutions, notably the Independent Commission against Corruption, remain in the lead in the implementiton of key pieces of legislation, including the National Anti-Corruption Plan of Action (NACPA) 2020-25. The main stakeholders for ITA systems and practices include a limited number of NGOs and traditional media,"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 7 of 22"}]